


Salvare

by SecKnight



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Crimson Flower, F/F, Hand Jobs, Implied Felix/Annette, Ingrid has a lot of feelings, Kinda?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-08
Updated: 2020-08-08
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:35:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,478
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25792198
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SecKnight/pseuds/SecKnight
Summary: The Blue Lions have joined with Edelgard to unite Fódlan under the banner of the Adrestian Empire. Ingrid played a pivotal role in the battle of Garreg Mach, but has since felt a profound sense of guilt for abandoning the traditional duties of a knight. Luckily for her, Mercedes knows just how to help.
Relationships: Ingrid Brandl Galatea/Mercedes von Martritz
Comments: 2
Kudos: 22





	Salvare

_Strike. Parry. Thrust. Sidestep. Finisher._

The moves played over and over in Ingrid's mind as she trained hard with her lance. She had done the routine thousands of times since the war had begun and it was deeply ingrained muscle memory. Yet today, she found that her mind wandered more often than it should. 

The last five years had been nothing short of brutal. It had all come crashing down when the Imperial army attacked Garreg Mach and Princess Edelgard, now the Emperor, lead the charge with Professor Byleth. Ingrid and the rest of the Blue Lions had chosen to remain at the monastery, despite Prince Dimitri's completely changed demeanor and cracking sanity. He had only focused on finding Edelgard at the time and had been going on about 'collecting her head as tribute.'

Needless to say, the battle was an absolute disaster.

_Strike._

Without Dimitri in the proper mental state to lead them, their house crumbled. She remembered how quickly everything was thrown into chaos by the fighting. Felix, Sylvain, and herself took it upon themselves to hold the Imperial forces at bay, while Annette, Ashe, and Mercedes helped many of the other students evacuate. Dedue had tried to bring His Majesty back to his senses, but only the blood of the newly crowned Emperor would sate him. The might of the Imperial force had proven to be too much far too quickly and she had shouted for everyone to run before running herself.

The guilt had nearly consumed her after the battle. How was she supposed to call herself a knight by abandoning her future king and her friends? She had run from her duty and her purpose, yet had she stayed, there was a good chance Ingrid would've ended up with a sword in her chest. Her guilt and anguish continued until she managed to find her way back to the lands of House Galatea.

_Parry._

Count Galatea had been overjoyed to see her and she swore she could still feel the tightness of his embrace. He had feared the worst after the fighting at Garreg Mach had ended and still hadn't received any word from her. Despite the financial hardships House Galatea faced, her father had ordered the kitchen to cook an extravagant meal for his daughter's return, which only furthered her guilt for running. He had foregone all of his duties for the rest of the day, insisting that he spend time with Ingrid. He never knew if he would be able to do it for an extended amount of time like that again, so he had told her. 

She remembered that dinner was the best she had ever had. Daphnel stew to begin with, followed by the main course of pheasant roast with berry sauce, then ending with peach sorbet. As to how the kitchen had managed to come up with all the ingredients necessary on such short notice was beyond her, but when her father had smiled so warmly at the table, the gears in her brain had stopped trying to turn.

_Thrust._

The conversation that came after the meal was difficult. Ingrid's guilt had festered and threatened to twist her from the inside out if she didn't tell her father the truth of what had happened. He had sensed something was amiss, but was not expecting the burden that she had been carrying. Slowly, she had told him of the battle and her conflicted feelings. Of how she ran and for all she knew, had left Felix, Sylvain, and everyone else to die. Instead of a stern lecture about how she should have been thinking of the family's future, her father's expression had turned softer than she had ever seen.

 _'My dearest daughter,'_ he had said. _'The future of our house means nothing if you are not here to see it, whether it leads to prosperity or ruin.'_

So why had the guilt decided it wasn't done with her?

_Sidestep._

Sheer terror was what Ingrid had felt when she had awoken one morning several weeks later to a force of Imperial soldiers outside of the Galatea estate. She had fought against them at Garreg Mach and figured they had come to finish her. However, they had approached the estate gates with flags of negotiation and peace. 

She almost fainted when Edelgard herself, clad in the royal Adrestian regalia, stepped forward to greet her and her father.

Soon after, Ingrid, Count Galatea, Edelgard, and a small council of Adrestian diplomats were seated in the estate's library, deep in negotiation. Edelgard's terms were as followed: House Galatea would be given resources and finances to finally be able to fully support itself. In exchange, they were to swear fealty to the Adrestian Empire and Ingrid was to fight in Edelgard's army. Her father vehemently protested at first, but when Ingrid actually read the specifics of the Emperor's terms, it was more than fair. She would be given command of a squad of well-trained pegasus knights and she would be allowed to stay close to home for her post unless called into a larger-scale campaign. Her father would not be removed from power unless it was proven that he had conspired against the Adrestian crown, in which all affairs and deciding power would go to Ingrid. It was honestly more than she deserved.

When she had finally decided to address the one thing on her mind, Ingrid directly (albeit awkwardly) asked if she would be punished for fighting against Edelgard at Garreg Mach. Much to her surprise, the newly crowned ruler shook her head and told her no matter who opposed them, all would be given a chance to join her cause. Any prior feuds and disagreements were forgiven, but such forgiveness would not happen a second time if they accepted her outstretched hand.

And so Ingrid Brandl Galatea, former citizen of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus, became an ally and soldier of the Adrestian Empire.

_Finisher._

Ingrid swung her lance hard enough to cleanly remove the head of the poor training dummy that had been her enemy of the day. She hadn't meant to let her strength run so unchecked, but it did bring her out of the sequence of memories that she had found herself stuck in. She thought she was done reminiscing on events that happened five years ago, but today certainly wasn't letting her have it easy. She heaved an exasperated sigh and decided she had done enough for now. She could always come back to the training area later when her mind wasn't so muddled.

Garreg Mach had certainly seen better days. Patches of the stone walls were still missing, the sauna was still being repaired, and the cathedral definitely wasn't the crown jewel that it used to be. However, under Edelgard and Professor Byleth, repairs were progressing quickly and things looked much better than when the Black Eagle Strike Force had first arrived. Bandits had taken over the monastery, but were quick to run once Edelgard had appeared. They certainly hadn't made the restoration effort any easier, as certain halls and rooms had been set up with traps and defenses. Bastards weren't even there anymore and there were still occasional reports of a soldier dying because they weren't paying attention to their surroundings. A terrible way to go and an even more terrible letter to write to their family.

In an attempt to bury the past, Ingrid began her walk to the cathedral and observed some of her old friends at work. Felix and Sylvain, who had been the first to to show up once the Imperial force had retaken Garreg Mach, were speaking to a few of the new recruits who surely had questions about their war experience. Sylvain did most of the talking, while Felix interjected every so often. She remembered being overjoyed when they stepped through the doors to the entrance hall, but the guilt of five years past still haunted her and prevented any sort of deep, meaningful interaction with either of them. She knew she was running, but didn't quite know how to face them.

Next had been Ashe. He gave a warm greeting and a wave to Ingrid as he and a group of archers went into the training yard. After a joyous reunion, he had told her that he had been serving House Rowe after the disaster at Garreg Mach but quietly slipped away once he heard that the professor had seemingly returned from the dead. She was grateful that Ashe's demeanor had not changed much, as he was still the person always willing to lend someone a hand. He had approached her first about what had happened five years prior and told her that if they hadn't ran, they wouldn't be alive. He was grateful that the majority of their house had been reunited and told her to forgive herself.

It helped, but not much.

After Ashe went into the training yard, Ingrid could see Annette with her nose in a magical tome, sipping her tea as she sat underneath one of the remaining trees not too far from where she was. Annette was too engrossed in the theory and application of Fimbulvetr to notice Ingrid passing by, but she didn't take any offense. Annette had always been cheerful and a genius when it came to magic. The war had sent her to the school of sorcery in Fhirdiad where she taught, until she also heard of the professor's return. Although they had never been close, Ingrid was on friendly terms with Annette and they often shared tea in the gardens behind the dining hall. It was comforting to have those moments with her and she could've sworn Felix had cast a few jealous glares her way when he saw her in the company of the redheaded mage.

Little did he know, his jealousy was misplaced.

Ingrid continued on to the cathedral and entered. Much of the ceiling had collapsed, but it didn't take away from any of its past splendor. There were several soldiers and priests, hands clasped together in silent prayer. She stood in front of the pile of rubble and thought to offer a prayer to the Goddess, but nothing came to mind. The only things she could think of were the rest of her friends and how she-

"Ingrid! What a pleasant surprise to see you here! Here to offer a prayer?" 

That sweet, angelic voice.

She turned around and came face to face with none other than Mercedes, all smiles and friendly disposition.

And she looked absolutely beautiful.

"I-well, you see-" Ingrid spluttered. She wasn't expecting their healer to suddenly appear behind her.

Mercedes had been the last to show up out of the former Blue Lions class. She had been going from battle to battle offering her magic and aid to any soldier, regardless of their banner. She was somewhat famous by the time she came to the monastery, earning a name for herself as a top tier practitioner of white magic. Mercedes was also popular with the orphaned children who lived in the village outside the walls and Ingrid saw her coming and going often. She swore one day that she would have the courage to join her.

"Surely you didn't come all this way just to see me?" Mercedes asked, amusement in her eyes. Ingrid huffed and regained her composure.

"As a matter of fact, I did. I was wondering if you'd like to have some tea. You know, like how we used to sit and talk before the war started." 

It was true, Ingrid _did_ come all that way for Mercedes. No distance was too far for her. Out of everyone that used to be with the Blue Lions, Mercedes was the easiest person to talk to. Her kind demeanor put Ingrid at ease and she felt she could confess to murder if it was Mercedes who pulled it from her. She smiled wide.

"Of course I would like to. I've missed our talks very much. Meet me at my old dorm room?"

Ingrid nodded and could've sworn her heart stopped.

\------------------

Thirty minutes later, Ingrid and Mercedes shared a pot of crescent moon tea in a dorm room that still carried a faint smell of lavender. While this particular tea wasn't her favorite, Ingrid had developed a taste for it back when they were all still attending the Officer's Academy. 

Mainly because it was the favorite of a certain someone sitting in front of her.

"How fares Count Galatea, Ingrid?" Mercedes began. "I heard rumors that your house swore fealty to Edelgard." Ingrid nodded while she sipped.

"You heard correctly. It wasn't too long after the battle five years ago that she and her diplomats showed up right at the estate gates. It was terrifying, to say the least." 

Another sip. She paused before deciding that she needed to open herself to her friend.

"My father has…changed. While I was growing up, he was very obstinate and worked tirelessly to ensure the future of our house. Oftentimes that meant I had to set aside my dreams and what I wanted." Mercedes's expression was soft and she silently bade her continue. Ingrid's heart swelled. 

"When I came home after that battle, it was like we had already won the war. I hadn't seen my father that happy in a long time and he was so willing to spend any spare moment with me. It was hard to leave once I was called to fight for the Empire."

"Do you write to him?"

"I do. Her Majesty delivered on her promise to get House Galatea back on its feet. I don't deser-"

Mercedes reached her hand across the small table they had set up and squeezed Ingrid's tight, cutting her off. "Don't you dare say you don't deserve it. That you don't deserve to be here."

Ingrid nearly dropped her tea cup. "Mercedes, what-"

"Ingrid Galatea, you will listen to what I have to say without interrupting."

It was the most stern Mercedes had ever sounded. She was never one to be riled or even show signs of annoyance at Sylvain's antics, but now? Ingrid couldn't help the slight blush on her cheeks and quietly obeyed. The woman sitting across from her cleared her throat, still holding Ingrid's hand. Neither made any move to pull away.

"Ingrid, the rest of us are worried about you. You throw yourself into your training and you hardly speak about anything deeper than the weather or the next assignment. We know you feel guilty about what happened back then, but had it not been for you, none of us would've broken away from the fighting in time to escape."

Mercedes was laying it all out and Ingrid had nothing to argue against her with. The shame at her failure of carrying out a knight's duty and running instead of dying a warrior's death was still deeply rooted inside of her. In Ingrid's mind, she had given up any chance of being a true knight that day. Mercedes then gently continued, easing back the stern tone.

"Myself and the others agreed that if you hadn't been with Edelgard, we probably wouldn't have returned to the monastery. While it's true that Dimitri has lost all sense of what's important, we didn't know if we could trust Edelgard. Then we heard stories of a fierce pegasus knight from Faerghus fighting with her and we had to see for ourselves. We wouldn't have been able to be here if it wasn't for you, so please come back to us. We've already lost Dimitri and Dedue…"

Mercedes let herself end her plea there. She didn't need to continue for Ingrid to know what she was getting at. A wave of emotional fatigue struck the would-be knight and she set her tea cup down with a sigh. She stared at the floor as she spoke, not having it in her to meet Mercedes's eyes. She would've broken in two in that moment if she had.

"Mercedes, you of all people understand how much it hurt me to have to run. I trained my whole life for a battle like that one and instead of fighting like I was told to always do, I ran. A true knight doesn't run but-" She paused, words stuck in her throat. She heard Mercedes get up from her seat and saw her pleated skirt, then felt soft hands turn her chin upwards.

"But you know you had to. Is that what you were going to say?" Their eyes met for a long moment and Ingrid placed her hands on top of ones already soothing her.

"You're right. I have to let go, but I don't know how."

A wicked grin spread across the healer's face.

"I know just how to fix that."

Ingrid's knees nearly buckled when she felt Mercedes's lips on hers, but she didn't try to pull away. There was desire, for Mercedes lapped at her like she had found a desert oasis after days of searching. Ingrid returned the sentiment as best she could and hoped that her inexperience wasn't too off-putting. When Mercedes finally let her breathe, Ingrid looked into her friend's eyes and saw something ravenous. Mercedes would swallow her whole if she let her and would make her forget about all of the things she was running from. 

And so Ingrid stepped forward, ready to take the offering presented to her.

"Help me fix it then."

Fingers laced through hers.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Please, Mercedes."

A squeeze and the next thing she knew, Ingrid was maneuvered to the bed and her hips were being straddled.

"I will show you the grace of the Goddess."

Her lips were devoured and she let it happen. Mercedes kissed like she would never get another chance and it took everything Ingrid had to keep up. Her hands rested on the other's hips and she felt the warmth of a tongue pressing at her lips. She hummed quietly, giving her approval. 

They stayed entwined for some time, with Ingrid eventually moving her hands up to grip onto Mercedes's blouse. Although she was still wearing her riding gloves, she made sure to be gentle and touch the priestess with care. When the light-headedness set in, Ingrid broke the kiss.

"That was-"

"Incredible? The Goddess rewards those with devotion." Ingrid laughed at that.

"You're insatiable."

"And this wouldn't be happening if I waited for you to kiss me first." Ingrid froze.

"Wait, what do you-" A finger upon her lips silenced her.

"Ingrid, you're an incredible fighter and honest to a fault, but you are not subtle." 

That meant she must have known. The stolen glances during all of their times at tea, the extra time spent at the cathedral, even meeting each other's eyes during battle. Ingrid huffed, crimson dusting her cheeks.

"Fine, you might be right. About all of it. I would've confessed to you eventually."

"And when were you planning on telling me? When the age of humans passed and the Goddess returned to the land?" Mercedes's hands travelled down Ingrid's sides, fingers coming to the hem of her pants. "Or perhaps later than that?"

"I...Mercedes-"

It took everything she had to not yelp in surprise when Mercedes suddenly slipped down inside her folds. She went torturously slow, letting Ingrid hear noises that were downright sinful. If dying of embarrassment was possible, Ingrid would've died five times over. The priestess leaned forward and breathed hotly into the shell of her ear.

"Let me take care of you. Let me see you."

She almost completely surrendered right there. Moving in time with Mercedes's fingers until she was satisfied was what Ingrid's heart wanted more than anything, but her mind wouldn't let her just yet. She moved her hand down to rest on the one inside of her.

"Mercedes, wait." 

"Hmm?"

"I-I don't think we should do this now. I'm not...really sure what I'm doing…"

Immediately, Mercedes withdrew her hand and lifted herself up and off of Ingrid, laying next to her. 

"Then we'll wait. I won't rush you into anything."

"Believe me, it's not that I don't want to ever, but-" 

"Ingrid, I understand if you're not ready. You needn't explain yourself," came the gentle reply. "I've wanted you ever since we were attending the academy together, but I can wait a little longer for you. The Goddess rewards patience after all." 

Mercedes winked; Ingrid blushed and nodded. Her heart wanted the priestess, but any thoughts of doing _that_ in the moment just made her turn redder than ripe strawberries. She truly had been blessed to have someone with as much patience as Mercedes. For now they simply laid in bed together, enjoying the other's presence.

It was the first time in a long while where Ingrid didn't think about the past.

  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> To the Mercigrid shippers (all 12 of you), please accept my humble gift to thee :bows:
> 
> Hello again! This time I'm here with a little bit more of a sensual piece of writing. I really wanted to explore how the Blue Lions would fare if they sided with Edelgard, since the game sort of touches on it if you choose the Crimson Flower path. I'll more than likely write a sequel piece to this one or add another chapter if this gets a seal of approval :o
> 
> Stay safe out there!


End file.
